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The two thousand square foot home was really coming together.
It was a big step. They had talked about it ever since graduation, the distance seeming to put a strain on both parties involved in the relationship. They both wanted to be closer, they both wanted to spend more time together, so the obvious answer for the two of them had been to live together. Between all those late nights in the dorm rooms and crashing on the others couches and beds often enough, the two of them could technically get away with saying that they’d already been living together.
They had learned, through various trial and errors, how to cohabitate a space without ending their relationship. They worked well together, lived well together, and if it wasn’t pushing it . . . they loved each other.
They haven’t actually said the words to each other, but it was something unspoken between them. They had spent their entire lives together, and neither of them were planning on changing that any time soon. The official announcement of their relationship was still relatively recent, so jumping ahead to those special words was something that the two of them were holding back from for various reasons.
So, after sleepless nights of scrolling through property listings, and calculating out a budget, the two heroes were finally able to proudly say that they were living together as a full-fledged couple!
“Oi! Deku, where do you want the-“
“In the spare room, Kacchan!” Izuku called back from the bedroom. Izuku and Katsuki had greeted the day early, a painful four am, to head over to their new home and finalize their move. Izuku had begun with telling Katsuki that he would be doing all the heavy lifting. After how many times he’s cleared the beach, moving in their furniture was child’s play for the strength he possessed now. Katsuki had, of course, argued, but after a bit of rewording on Izuku’s part Katsuki settled for organizing and decorating. He had a better eye for it than Izuku did anyway.
“Hey,” Katsuki called softly. Izuku turned to glance over his shoulder, currently in the process of putting their bedframe together. He was having a difficult time. “How’s it going in here, nerd?”
“It’s like the instructions are written in an alien language. I’m also positive that they gave us the wrong screws,” Izuku complained, beaming when Katsuki lazily crouched behind him and draped his arms around Izuku’s neck.
“Because it’s upside-down?” Katsuki teased. Izuku stared at the page, a horrified look on his face until he felt Katsuki’s body shake with his laughter.
“Very funny, Kacchan,” Izuku turned, giving his boyfriend a small peck before returning to look at the instructions. “Please tell me you’re having better luck.”
“No shit,” Katsuki snarled, lightly biting Izuku’s ear for good measure. “Someone decided to be a little shit and not let me carry anything.”
“Kacchan, your ribs are still fractured from-“
“Don’t start with me, Deku,” Katsuki challenged. “Who’s the dumbass that always ends up injured?”
“I’ll let you know I haven’t so much as sprained anything for the past six months,” Izuku declared, a bit proud of himself.
“Yeah, congrats on not being shitty to your body,” Katsuki snickered. Izuku could sense the eye roll. “You sure you’ve got this taken care of?”
“I can handle it, Kacchan,” Izuku answered, elbowing him slightly. Katsuki grunted and stood. He took a moment to ruffle Izuku’s hair before heading for the bedroom door.
“There’s still a few boxes in the van. I’ll bring them up so I can move that hunk of junk out of the middle of the road. The morning traffic is going to be picking up soon. It’s almost seven,” Katsuki spoke, halfway out the doorway.
“Need any-“
“Sit your ass back down, Deku,” Katsuki warned, glaring into the room in mock anger. “I bench just as much, if not more, then you do so shove it.”
“But Kacchan, you’re still-“
“Don’t come, Deku. I’ve got-“
Izuku stopped listening.
It wasn’t as if he suddenly decided to ignore Katsuki, but something had shifted with him. It was almost like a light had been switched on. Izuku was vaguely aware of Katsuki finishing his sentence, but his vision was blurred and he could no longer hear a sound.
He looked down at his hands to find them shaking. Why was he shaking? His body felt too warm and itchy all of a sudden. He blinked, unseeing, into what he could only describe as a blurred tunnel vision. What was happening to him? His lungs stalled, making it difficult to breathe while he tried to desperately regain some semblance of awareness.
Where was he? What was going on? Where was Katsuki?
“Don’t come, Deku . . .”
Where was Katsuki!?!?
“K-Kacchan?” his voice stuttered. He tried to will himself to move, to try and see where he was but his body wasn’t listening. Where was he?! It was too dark! Izuku’s lungs no longer stalled but now raced to bring in airflow, now creating far too much. He was light headed and dazed.
He was in a forest . . . on a night that Izuku never wanted to remember, but could never forget.
“KACCHAN!” he was screaming.
It was like being outside of his body. Everything moved and behaved of its own accord but did nothing Izuku actually wanted it to. He lunged forward in the dark, racing out of the room and down the hall to try and catch sight of the other. Where was he? Katsuki had just been here. Where had he gone?! What happened to him?!?
Emotional scars reopened, a floodgate of feelings Izuku just wanted to bury and let fade away. Loss, anguish, failure, a list that continued to count down in his mind as his body frantically searched their new apartment for the object of his affection.
He was gone. Kacchan was gone!!
“KACCHAN?!” Izuku tried again.
“Deku?” The call echoed around him. Izuku tried to move towards the sound, but phantom pain surged through his body, ripping a violent cry from his already sobbing mouth. When had he started crying? He hated this. He hated this. All he wanted was Katsuki, to make sure he was okay, and to make sure he was there . . . next to Izuku.
Someone was holding him.
“Deku? Hey, Deku!?” Izuku would know that voice anywhere. The arms wrapped tightly around him were familiar and a comfort that Izuku needed now more than ever. Where had he gone?!? Why did he leave Izuku like that?!
Why had he said those words?
“Kacchan!” Izuku sobbed, clinging to the other with the intention to keep him there.
“What happened? I was outside for a minute,” Katsuki’s tone was harsh causing Izuku to flinch, but he knew the tone was one of worry not anger. Izuku tried to focus on the present, what was actually happening before him, but his mind could only conjure that forest. Izuku forced his eyes open to see Katsuki right in front of him. Crimson bore into him, searching for answers that Izuku was unable to give right now.
He was scaring Katsuki.
“Deku, breathe, c'mon please,” Katsuki's tone wavered, his grip shifting to adjust how Izuku was now sitting crumpled on the floor. “Just breathe for me.”
Izuku tried desperately to listen. He tried focusing on breathing and calming his speeding heartrate, trying and failing to snuff out his emotional breakdown. He knew this was ridiculous. Katsuki was right there, right in front of him. Yet, Izuku struggled to bring his mind to a singular focus.
Katsuki was rubbing his back and wiping tears from his eyes. It was soothing, comforting, and just the right amount of a soft touch for Izuku to get his breathing back under control. His shoulders slumped, body suddenly far too drained to attempt anything other then possibly holding himself upright. His vision blurred, fat tears still slowly slinking down his heated face. Everything became too much, too heavy.
Izuku slumped forward into Katsuki's chest, numb.
“Deku?” Katsuki asked softly, tone still wavering between worried anger and concerned panic. Katsuki sat with him, there on the floor on of their new living room. Boxes were still scattered about, and the floor wasn't nearly as comfortable as the couch would be, but Izuku possessed no will to move.
“Kacchan,” Izuku cringed while he spoke, his throat dry and sore. How much had he screamed? Izuku wanted to curl up in Katsuki and just will this feeling away. He was here, that was the past, Izuku had gotten him back.
“What do you need?” Katsuki asked softly, a secret between the two of them. Izuku couldn’t will himself to make a sound. He simply burrowed his nose into Katsukis neck and settled there. Katsuki's arms came around him instantly in another embrace , knowing that all Izuku wanted was to be close to him. So, there they sat on the floor, still and quiet until Izuku was able to gather his thoughts.
“I'm sorry, Kacchan. I . . . I-“ Izuku had to clear his throat. Katsuki hummed a low tone, brushing the tip of his nose along Izukus brow line.
“It's okay, nerd,” Katsuki spoke fondly, most likely wanting to keep Izuku calm. “You wanna tell me what happened?”
Izuku shook his head, biting his lip to try and fight back a new wave of tears from spilling. If Izuku brought it up, they'd get in a fight. Izuku knew they would fight. It was better if he just-
Katsuki had gotten further into Izuku's space, pressing a kiss to his lips and keeping him close. How had Izuku managed this? How had he been so lucky to be with the one person he had always longed for. Katsuki chuckled when Izuku slumped further into him. Katsuki's lips were addictive to Izuku, Katsuki was addictive. Inhaling, all of Izuku's senses honed in on the individual before him.
Izuku never wanted to lose him again.
“Kacchan,” he whined when those perfect lips where removed.
“You aren't nervous about the move, right? Not having second thoughts about living together?” Katsuki asked.
“No, never!” Izuku argued, eyes brightening with the sincerity of his words.
“No way those instructions got to you that much,” Katsuki teased, a wolfish grin blooming.
“Not nice, Kacchan,” Izuku huffed.
“So . . . “ Katsuki paused, the grin falling from his face to a forlorn stare. “It's me then,” he said. There was no question or hesitation in his voice. A simple statement that Katsuki made to show he understood that he had caused Izuku’s panic attack.
“Wait . . . Kacchan, it isnt-“ Izuku fumbled, groggily trying to jumpstart his brain.
“What did I do?” he asked. There was frustration in his voice, but it became overpowered by a tone that was slipping into Katsuki’s voice more and more every time he spoke to Izuku. It bloomed warmth in Izuku's soul whenever he heard it.
“Nothing,” Izuku paused seeing the hard glare from the other. He wasn’t getting out of this. “It's just . . . that phrase. I can't . . . I don't,” Izuku struggled.
“I can't relive that again,” he confessed. Katsuki’s eyebrow curved, confusion etched into his forehead.
“What?” Katsuki asked.
“What you said to me . . . right before you were taken by the League. I . . .” Izuku felt the sob bubbling in his throat, so he swallowed to shove it down.
“Deku,” Katsuki lightly held his face, forcing eye contact between them. “You know why I told you that. You know you were in no shape to-“
“That's not the point!” Izuku snapped. “You . . . You were right there. I could have reached you, should have gotten to you. I needed to save you, and then you just said that like it didn't matter, that I had no business coming after you. You-“ Izuku broke off, leaning forward to kiss Katsuki again to distract himself from the pain. The kiss was rushed, clicking teeth and grunts switched between them.
“Wait, Deku,” Katsuki said between Izuku’s onslaught of kisses. “Fuckin stop!” Katsuki held Izuku back by his shoulders, a deeply concerned look on his face.
“You would have died if you followed me. You know that, Deku. You looked like hell, and the only thing keeping you going was some bullshit notion that you needed to save me right then and there. I wasn’t going to watch you get yourself fucking killed. You came after me without thinking it through. I had to watch you in that state try and take them all on . . . for me,” Katsuki was yelling a bit. Izuku wanted to argue with him, but he kept himself in check. It stung, deeply. The words Katsuki spoke were aimed darts at a very tender target that Izuku feared if struck much more . . . he would break. Katsuki took a deep breath through his nose.
“I'll avoid saying it. The last thing I want to do is cause this to happen again, but I would never change what I said. You healed up, came up with a plan, and got me back. I can handle myself, Deku, but I know how much that had to have hurt. I . . I don't even want to think about if it was the other way around.” Katsuki leaned his forehead against Izuku's, holding him close.
They sat there on the floor. Izuku knew a decent amount of time had passed when the early morning sunlight crept in through the windows, casting spotlights of dawn around them. Izuku opened his eyes, mesmerized by how breathtaking Katsuki looked.
He loved him. Izuku Midoriya loved this man with all of his being, and he always had in some way or another his entire life.
“Don't leave me,” the words slipped past his lips, unhindered by his typical filters. “Kacchan . . . please.”
“The hell are you talking about?” Katsuki asked, voice exasperated with a faint chuckle. “I don’t know if you're aware of this, but we now live together. I'm not going anywhere.”
“Kacchan, don't make fun of me right now. Please, I mean it. Don't-“
“You think I'm going to deal with this hassle again? Who else would I bother putting up with this shit for?” Katsuki continued, kissing Izuku before lightly biting at his jaw.
“Kacchan-“
“Deku,” Katsuki growled, tapping the back of his skull against the wall for dramatic effect. “I'm here, always gonna be, so get used to it.”
It was reassurance. Izuku kissed Katsuki again until they shifted from sitting to laying on the hardwood floor. Katsuki muttered his annoyance, but hadn't pulled away yet.
“Katsuki,” Izuku smiled down at the other, happy and content for now. Katsuki's face flared in shocked embarrassment at Izuku saying his name. He rolled his hips up into Izuku after getting a firm hold of his hips.
“Izuku,” their lips came together again while friction built between them. “Bed,” Katsuki groaned.
“Well . . .” Izuku began, recalling the task he had been in the middle of completing. “we don’t have one yet.”
“Shit,” Katsuki cursed, glaring at the ceiling a moment before kissing him again. “Get on the couch, nerd. We're doing this.”
Izuku laughed, beaming as he hauled himself to his feet and pulled Katsuki with him. Falling back onto the couch cushions with Katsuki crawling over him. Izuku's heart decided to settle for being in a state of contentment . . . for now. Katsuki may not have said what Izuku wanted to hear, but he did say what he needed. Katsuki was here, with Izuku, and would be for a very long time.
That's all that mattered.